Chapter 109: "Tao follows nature" from another world
Heaven and earth are not kind... Heaven and earth are not kind...
In the soup and noodle shop early in the morning, when Zhao Duan read out this sentence.
The old Taoist priest, who had originally not cared much and had no expectations, seemed to be struck.
He chewed on this sentence quietly, and his eyes, which were still as clear as a child's despite his age, suddenly brightened up a little.
Strictly speaking, the "benevolence" mentioned by Zhao Duan and the "benevolence" mentioned by Zhang Yanyi are different in context.
Zhang Yanyi said that Heaven and Earth are benevolent, which is an emotion expressed in a specific context.
It refers to the fact that as a sorcerer who believes in "the Way of Heaven", he can get a glimpse of good and bad fortune from the operation of the Way of Heaven.
Thus, it can be avoided, which is like the "benevolence" of heaven and earth to the world.
It is a subjective sigh, but it does not mean that he really believes that "Heaven's Way" has human-like emotions.
The sentence Zhao Duan repeated was a calm, even slightly cold description.
It means that there is no such thing as "benevolence" or "unkindness" in heaven and earth. Heaven and earth exist naturally, and all things in the world and human world arise and perish according to the laws.
In this way, the space between heaven and earth is like a huge bellows.
Being empty does not mean being exhausted, being agitated will only increase the wind, and numerous government orders will disturb the people. It is better to remain empty and quiet.
In his previous life, Zhao Duan saw someone use this sentence to illustrate Lao Tzu's view of "ruling by doing nothing".
It is interpreted as a Taoist doctrine and advice to the upper-level rulers.
But the same sentence, in a different world, when spoken to this "official of the Tianshi Mansion", has a slightly different meaning.
It is more like how a "monk" should understand the world.
How to be alone, avoid external disturbances, and keep your inner peace.
…
"What a cruel world!"
Zhang Yanyi couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
As a sorcerer who delved into the ways of heaven, he had a particularly profound understanding of this, and his gaze towards Zhao Duan was filled with even more admiration for talent:
"My friend, you have never cultivated the Way of Heaven, yet you have already gained such profound insights. Choosing to follow the path of a warrior is truly a waste of your talent."
Zhao Duan blushed a little because of the flattery.
Young Master Zhao still has some dignity.
Putting aside the fact that this statement was copied, even if we put that aside, anyone who has studied and taken physics classes in their previous life can reach this level of understanding of the laws of the objective world.
He looked serious:
"Old sir, please don't say such things again. I'm afraid His Majesty will misunderstand."
The old Taoist priest smiled and said intentionally, "That girl Xu Zhenguan will only delay you."
But after thinking about it, he didn't speak, and said:
"Your explanation of heaven and earth is quite insightful and easy to understand, but in my opinion, it is still a little lacking."
Zhao Duan was not convinced:
"I can't pretend I didn't hear what you said, sir."
Zhang Yan smiled and said:
"Don't misunderstand. This isn't meant to be derogatory, but rather incomplete. As you said, heaven and earth are unkind, and cultivators should maintain emptiness and tranquility. But if one only knows emptiness and tranquility, then one is still a mortal. How should one cultivate?"
Zhao Duan heard this but did not speak in a hurry. He slowly ate a few bites of pancakes and drank half a bowl of thick soup.
This piqued the old Taoist's curiosity for a moment, and then he smiled and said:
“This is even simpler.”
"Simple?" Zhang Yan raised his eyebrows.
"Of course," Zhao Duan said calmly:
"Since you, old sir, agree that Heaven and Earth are not benevolent, yet the laws of nature exist naturally, then what we should do is simple. I can summarize it in thirteen words."
He remembered his last experience and wanted to dip his hand in the soup to write.
But I was worried that there would be too much fat in the mutton soup and too many words, so I gave up.
Thirteen words?
The old Taoist priest was curious because there were twenty-one words and phrases in the Heavenly Book that summarized the description, and they had not been changed for nearly five hundred years.
How dare this young man make such a bold statement, which can be explained clearly in thirteen words?
Zhang Yanyi was a little excited.
Suddenly Zhao Duan sat up straight and spoke word by word:
"Man follows the earth, the earth follows the sky, the sky follows the Tao, and the Tao follows nature."
Tao follows...nature!
At this moment, even though he was mentally prepared, and even because of the lesson of "Tao gives birth to one" last time, the old Taoist priest quietly took a stand.
Cut off the connection between the two and heaven and earth.
But when these thirteen big words hit his ears one by one, they still stirred up layers of waves in the heart of this great sorcerer who stood at the top of this world.
"Fa" here means "to imitate."
Zhao Duan threw out two sentences that hit people, and when put together, it means:
Heaven and earth are not benevolent and operate according to objective laws. Human practice is to emulate the natural laws of heaven and earth.
The last four words "Tao follows nature" do not mean that Tao imitates nature, but that Tao imitates itself.
Translated into vernacular, it is actually not complicated or profound.
Just like most of the true insights in this world, they are simple and plain.
But to truly understand it, many people have to spend their entire lives.
As for Zhang Yanyi, although he had understood these principles many years ago, he had never thought about it.
Such concise words can be used to clearly explain the understanding of "Heaven's Way" and the essence of practice.
No Heavenly Master in the history of the "Tianshi Mansion" has been able to do this, and Zhang Yanyi is no exception.
But today, it was told to a mere mortal warrior who was taking the path of a warrior.
How could he not be surprised and surprised?
"What do you think, old sir?"
Zhao Duan was also observing the other party's reaction, with a triumphant smile on his face.
Well, it looks like these two sentences should be able to sell for a good price.
Zhang Yan came back to his senses and looked at Zhao Duan deeply, with mixed feelings in his heart:
Just by reading the four words "Tao follows nature", he knew that some of the words and sentences in "The Book of Heaven" had to be revised again.
Ironically, during the hundreds of years that Zhang Yanyi was the head of the sect, the changes he made to the Heavenly Book were not as many as the few sentences Zhao Duan made up casually.
"good."
The old Taoist priest said this in a somewhat depressed mood, then stood up and said listlessly:
"I still have something to do, so I won't bother you any more."
As he said this, he turned and walked away. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared in the crowd, as if he had never appeared.
But none of the people around noticed.
"no……"
Zhao Duan opened his mouth, a little dumbfounded.
I thought to myself, what does "not bad" mean? Shouldn't you express your feelings?
Give him a piece of talisman paper or something... In a trance, he felt like he was being taken advantage of for free.
Gritting his teeth, he stuffed the silver "Divine Talisman" on the table into his arms as a trump card.
Zhao Duan ate up all the pancakes and broth, threw down a few large coins and was about to leave.
The shop owner chased out and said timidly:
"Sir, your friend hasn't paid for the soup and noodles he had."
"......?" Zhao Duan had no expression on his face.
"I don't know him."
The owner of the soup noodle shop was a straightforward man, and he said with his neck stiff:
"You two have both eaten at this shop twice."
Zhao Duan looked up to the sky and sighed: "...What a sin."
…
…
Bafang Theater.
Because there are performances in the afternoon and evening, it is the busiest time for the theater.
Therefore, every morning, the theater does not receive guests. The actors close the door and start training their voices and honing their basic skills early in the morning.
As the new "top star", Wu Ling was given a separate courtyard to live in by the owner of the opera house.
However, this morning, when this "young man" with a fair complexion and a face as handsome as a girl opened the door to the backyard, he welcomed in a group of uninvited guests.
They all wore gray burqas and covered their faces with veils.
The one in the lead was wearing an indigo ghost mask.
Judging from the exposed body parts, he should be a middle-aged man.
Wu Ling welcomed the group into the room, and after closing the door, he saluted with an eager look in his eyes:
"I greet you, Captain! I didn't know you arrived in the capital early. I'm sorry for not welcoming you."
The middle-aged man wearing an indigo mask smiled:
"No need for formalities. You should have heard that I came to the capital to take over the Kuangfu Society's capital branch from Grand Tutor Zhuang. However, things seem to be unsettled in the capital lately."
Wu Ling said bitterly, "The captain already knows?"
The middle-aged man nodded, his tone becoming more serious:
"Yesterday, while I was outside the capital, I received an urgent message saying that the person buried in the imperial court had been removed. That's why I entered the city early. However, the letter was brief and didn't explain the situation clearly. Please tell me in detail."
Wu Ling nodded.
He immediately shared the information he had about the hidden traitor in Zhaoya.
All the grey-robed men were moved, while the new helmsman listened quietly.
Finally asked:
"So, after the two Tiechiguans were apprehended, all those connected to them were immediately notified to evacuate?"
Wu Ling said:
"Yes. But we were too hasty, and some members still got into trouble. For example, the person we placed next to that thief Zhao died at his hands."
The new helmsman frowned and said:
"As you said, yesterday's disaster was also planned by Zhao Duan?"
Wu Ling nodded and said seriously:
"From what we know, that's indeed the case. Everyone has underestimated the Zhao thief. In the past two months since the Grand Tutor was forced to flee by him, he has repeatedly performed great deeds and has become a disaster."
The new helmsman asked, "Have you ever tried to test him?"
Wu Ling smiled bitterly and said:
"I once tried to kill this person, but before I even saw him, the God of Drama's substitute was destroyed by the great cultivator. I suspect it was the False Emperor who did it.
The influence of Zhao the thief in the false emperor's heart far exceeds expectations, and his tactics and wisdom are definitely not as bad as the rumors say."
Upon hearing this, the group of members of the Kuangfu Society who had traveled all the way to Beijing from other places were greatly surprised.
Unexpectedly, the notorious pretty boy who was the empress in the rumors was praised so highly by Wu Ling.
"Don't judge a person by his appearance. This incident is a lesson for you."
The new helmsman sighed and looked around at everyone:
"The capital is the territory of the pseudo-emperor. We have just arrived and it is a time of unrest. I order all members to lie low for the time being and avoid the limelight."
Everyone agreed.
The new helmsman changed the subject, looked at Wu Ling, and said with a smile:
"However, don't lose heart. After Master Zhuang left, you were leaderless, which gave the court and Zhao Du'an an opportunity to exploit. Now that I've arrived, I will not let the sacrifices of our brothers in the society be in vain."
Wu Ling cheered up:
"Captain, what do you mean..."
The head of the New Capital branch smiled and said with a grimace:
"Since it's as you said, let's start with Zhao Duan. The fake emperor can protect him temporarily, but not forever.
Since he dares to become our enemy, we should first take his life as a sacrifice to our brothers, boost morale, and avenge the destruction of Master Zhuang's plan by him."
…
Typos should be corrected first and then replaced
Thanks to the book friend Zhizhuzaiwo for the 500-point reward and support!
(End of this chapter)
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